Why PV is Important to Energy Assurance
This remote water-level monitoring station uses photovoltaics to charge storage batteries that supply electric power to monitoring equipment. PV systems are ideal for disaster mitigation because they are modular and can be tailored to a wide range of electrical loads, sites, and uses. PV can play a critically important role in mitigating disaster through early warnings or remedial action.
The nation's current energy production and distribution infrastructure faces a number of physical threats because of its age and complexity, its potential vulnerability to national disasters, and acts of terrorism. Building and maintaining the systems that handle electricity, water, communications, and transportation are costly in terms of both dollars and time.
Parts deteriorate naturally, maintenance can be inadequate, and systems are often complex and interdependent, relying on each other to function properly. All these factors come into play during major disruptions. Moreover, systems designed for the expected loads and capacities of the 20th century are often inadequate for today's greater needs, leading to failures such as power outages.
Depending on where you live, natural disasters might include hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, blizzards, or earthquakes. These unpredictable catastrophes can damage many of the components of our energy infrastructure. Think of ice storms that snap power lines, and earthquakes that cripple power plants. Human error can also be a culprit. Failure to monitor and maintain the proper pressure within a pipeline system used to transport oil, natural gas, or water, for example, can damage valves and gauges, requiring shutdowns that disrupt optimal flow.
And, as we've witnessed in several tragic events, it is an unfortunate fact of life that disasters can be intentional. Threats range from juvenile vandalism, to criminal sabotage by an individual, to well-planned terrorist attacks aimed at wreaking large-scale political, social, or economic havoc.
So how can PV strengthen America's energy security?
By providing highly reliable, low-cost electric power. By distributing energy throughout our systems in a more diversified way. By generating power that can be transported in portable systems to a disaster site, or anywhere where there is a crippling or dangerous grid power outage. By playing a larger, more active role in the energy mix when PV systems are built into new buildings. By using the free energy of the sun to free us from dependence on unreliable foreign sources of oil. The list goes on and on.
Let's take a brief look at each of PV's benefits to the nation — and to you.